Lee Strobel: The Case for Christ

ISBN: 978-0-310-22655-0
Can christianity stand the rigorous tests and standards of historical studies? I am glad I read this book to find the secrets hidden in it. A book written with an agenda to seek out the truth by a man who had no reason to be subjective to the findings. His skills prove crucial in unveiling answers as he asks question I had never thought asking with regards to the Christian faith. The author Lee Strobel is an investigative journalist retracing his own spiritual journey from atheism to faith.

Many things are covered in this book but my most favourite is the task of testing out if the Gospels of the bible are authentic historical documents passed on over time or just fabricated, fictional writings created by people who had ulterior motives that would benefit them from colluding. The Gospel’s pass with flying colours the archaeological tests at 99.5%, with these books being supported by many non biblical documents and creeds from the ancient times of Jesus. These non biblical books, discovered all over the world, document his miracles, teachings, crucification and resurrection.

This means Jesus Christ of Nazareth was a real man who walked the face of this earth and is not a figment of christians imagination. The book continues on from there but I could have stopped at these two FACTS and would have been satisfied:

The bible has better historical documentation for Jesus than any other founder of any ancient religion

Jesus was a historical figure whose entire story is backed up by archaeology

It doesn’t end there though, this investigative journalist put all sorts of tests to christianity that he would on any court case. From eyewitness evidence, psychological evidence, profile evidence, fingerprint evidence and my favourite one medical evidence.

I love how the medical evidence gives you a sense of an episode from the TV show Crime Scene Investigation (CSI), all in the quest to prove if Jesus faked his death to later claim resurrection. It even explains why Jesus sweat drops of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, something I have read in the bible many times but left wondering each time. If you really want to know, read this book. I love how it explains that the word ‘excruciate’ originated to define the pain experienced during crucifixion and the word itself means ‘out of the cross’ in Latin. The gruesome description in the book around that word is very reminiscent of the crucification scenes of the movie Passion of the Christ, justifying why a word needed to be made to convey a pain greater than childbirth; a process that had obviously had been around for years prior.

As you read the book, ALL opposing theories are left with holes in them by the many scholars and they zone in on the evidence to the probable and absolutely incredible idea that Jesus was God incarnate who completed a mission to rise from the dead for human sins.